Damnation's Damsels
by The Unpredictable Muse
Summary: Mr. Bingley has let Netherfield Park, Elizabeth is betrothed to a young man of Hertfordshire, and Mrs. Bennet is in an uproar her first born will not marry first? How will Mr. Bennet maintain his sanity in the chaos? (All canon characters involved with slight twists, and reoccuring OCs are mine from another fanfiction I have written,) Pairings dependent on whim. No HEA for EB/FD)
1. Chapter 1

Dear Readers –

This deviates from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice book in several ways.

There is not happy ever after for Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.

George Wickham may make an appearance, but he is not of the same character that he is in the book.

Fitzwilliam Darcy may undergo a character softening ( Because we all know he's a softy anyway, he's just a little too proud sometimes)

Pairings are on whim, therefore Jane and Bingley are not guaranteed to be married, though it may appear very likely nonetheless.

I have OCs from a previous PP fanfiction that I am reusing in a similar manner with this fanfiction although they are not the exact same from Fortunes and Follies.

Author Bragging – Fortune and Follies Part 1 and 2 are complete, where EB and FD do have a HEA for those interested.

Character List

The 4 and 20 families of Hertfordshire as mentioned-

Wilders (OC) – 7,000 per annum

Boulanger (OC) – 7,000 per annum

Crowns (OC) – 2,500 per annum

Millers (OC) -

Rowleys (OC) – 4,000 per annum

Bennets (Canon) – 2,000 per annum

Longs (Canon) – 4,000 per annum

Lucass (Canon) – 3,500 per annum

Robinsons (Canon) – 5,000 per annum


	2. Chapter 2

Hertfordshire expected Mr. Charles Bingley to be accompanied by seven gentlemen and twelve ladies. They changed their minds to seven gentlemen, five ladies, and a cousin. Not until the monthly assembly however, had Hertfordshire learned the truth. While Mr. Bingley entered the assembly room without an escort on his arm, his older sister Louisa and her husband Felton Hurst, followed him. His younger sisters, Caroline, Emmeline, and Priscilla entered in descending order of age. A slight hush fell over the citizens of Hertfordshire as they admired the finely dressed party.

Blonde haired, blue eyed, and armed with a ready smile, the opposite of Louisa Hurst and Caroline Bingley, Charles Bingley associated himself with individuals of consequence. Most everyone already learned that the Bingleys descended from trade relations, so the fact that Louisa and Caroline held themselves above everyone else rubbed raw the amiable country society. Emmeline and Priscilla much resembled their brother in easy, affectionate manners and still remembered where they originated.

In particular, Emmeline bonded immediately with Elizabeth Bennet, whereas Priscilla associated herself with the other principle families as to gain a fuller portrait of the country society. While Charles first acquainted himself with the principle inhabitants, he battled his nerves and failed to think of a proper introduction to be acquainted with the lovely Miss Jane Bennet for over half the assembly. Ultimately it was with a side remark by Caroline that forced his bravery. Sir William Lucas introduced Charles to the Bennet girls while Kitty and Lydia danced with familiar company. Of all familiar company that favored the likes of Kitty and Lydia, only Mr. Long, Mr. Crown, and Mr. Miller actually thought well of the silly girls.

Almost immediately he attempted to claim Jane's hand for a dance, and immediately Jane accepted to their mother's delight. Elizabeth retreated to Charlotte Lucas's side, noting Emmeline dance with the oldest Rowley son. Born and raised in Hertfordshire, the Bennet girls knew of no other county. Intimately familiar with at least twelve of the four and twenty families, Elizabeth harbored a hope that Silas Rowley would express a marked interest in her. His fine countenance and strong figure impacted her opinion of other young men and invoked a sense of possessive want that she never felt for all other men. Jane often teased her about her desire for Mr. Rowley's attention, but Jane did not understand just how deep the desire run.

Mrs. Bennet predicted that Mr. Rowley would propose to Jane any day now, for he visited often and so attentive to her Jane especially.

" Oh, don't look so displeased, Lizzy. Mr. Rowley prefers your lively conversation," Charlotte said. " My father even noted his preference for you when you attended the private party at Lucas Lodge. Even Maria said he kept returning to your side throughout the evening. Barely said two words to Jane, no matter what your mother may think,"

" Miss Bingley seems to enjoy his attentions a great deal. I wonder if she knows his family will only earn three to four thousand a year," Elizabeth mused aloud with some comfort. Charlotte never lied, never said anything untrue, and most certainly didn't grant her confidante and close friend, Miss Eliza Bennet, the privilege of a soft response. Her heart fluttered at the thought of Mr. Silas Rowley speaking to her, his future inherited position as patriarch and owner of three to four thousand a year estate barely stirring beyond an interesting fact.

" I believe it is just a dance, Lizzy," Charlotte teased. " All of Hertfordshire knows you are Mr. Rowley's favorite,"

" Favorite Bennet, you mean,"

" Aye, and he rarely calls on any other young ladies. His sister told me so herself. He is very smitten," Marina Rowley also trusted Charlotte Lucas, but she lacked the wit that Elizabeth Bennet utilized daily. Miss Rowley exhibited more calculated and reserved manners that the ton favored, most likely due to her season in town.

Elizabeth sighed, the jealousy bothering her infinitely. Fortunately Jane dancing with Mr. Bingley distracted her. The tilt of Jane's head as she turned toward Mr. Bingley, and Mr. Bingley's lively smile never waning fanned hopes that their mother might screech less in the upcoming months about the hedgerows. Almost all of the assembly watched the couple with speculative bets on whether Jane might suffer another man without the inclination to marry someone with so little temptation. Emmeline rejoined her, and she took comfort in the lady exclaiming Mr. Rowley far too interested in politics to entertain her. " Mr. Rowley inherits upon his father passing, and he has gone to university for law. He was to become a barrister but then his father called him back to run the estate,"

" He did mention you were familiar with his family," Emmeline said pointedly. Elizabeth pretended to not notice. If word leaked out that she took too deep an interest in any man, her mother mocked it. Mrs. Bennet, if she deemed the man of respectable wealth, attempted to shove Jane at them, and if not Jane, then Lydia. Lydia's scandalously early coming out barely entered their mother's thoughts and their father never cared enough to regulate their mother. Not even Maria was permitted out before the age of fifteen, and she only attended assemblies whenever Charlotte and Lady Lucas attended them.

" We grew up together,"

" He must have been a mischievious lad,"

Elizabeth laughed. " Aye, at least twice a day he suffered a paddling," Sometimes he even covered for her mischief so she were not punished too. Kitty and Lydia would always try to tattle on her but their fathers always believed Silas told the truth. When Silas ignored her flirtations for Elizabeth's conversations, Lydia tried to force Silas to compromise her. The young man, smart enough to know a trap, deftly sidestepped it much to the youngest Bennet's unhappiness.

Together the three ladies turned their attentions to Jane. Charlotte sighed. " She should show more affection, not less. Jane's shyness will be her undoing," Emmeline placed a hand on Elizabeth's forearm and leaned in as to whisper. Charlotte's detached disappointment paused whatever she intended to say. " But Jane has always been shy,"

" You would not wish my brother's attentions on her. His are inconstant and he has led many a heart astray with no satisfaction,"

" Miss Emmeline, as much as I wish Jane protected, our mother wishes her married. It does not matter who the suitor is,"

" Does your mother not realize the damage she is doing? To thrust Miss Jane forward at all opportunities regardless of the party's interest only marks her as mercenary,"

" Aye,"

" And your youngest sister, Miss Lydia, should not be out so young. Look at how low she curtsies and how close she stands to the men. The way she squeezes their hands during the dances – you should control her now,"

Charlotte traded knowing looks with Elizabeth. Bowing her head, Elizabeth looked up to find Mr. Rowley before her, hand offered. " Would you care to dance, Miss Elizabeth?" A vivid blush colored her cheeks as she accepted.

Once among the couples lined up, Elizabeth felt a fever possess her, as it always did in Mr. Rowley's company. Something in his manner excited her. A smile, ever so open and warm, calmed the pounding of her heartbeat. Thankful the evening gloves absorbed the sweat, she only desired the music to start.

The music started, and she followed the country dance steps dutifully. Their eyes met several times during the dance. " Miss Lizzy, I was pleased to hear you were without suitor when I returned from university,"

" You were, sir?" Hope colored her words even as she ordered her heart and mind to still themselves. They hopped, clapped, spun, and took their turn down the line.

" It gave me hope,"

" For what, sir?" She almost lost her footing while fully aware Charlotte Lucas watched her dance. Keen observer, Miss Lucas spotted all, deduced accurately, and predicted the future as if she were the Good Lord himself.

Their eyes met once more. " That I might call you mine,"

" How daring of you, sir, when you have not yet made an offer," She teased, as it was the only defense she could use to excuse the color of her cheek and the smile she could not force into hiding. His words haunted her, and she wasn't entirely sure she heard them correctly. He wanted to call her his?

" What is to say I am not offering now?" Silas demanded in complete seriousness, knowing Elizabeth Bennet too well to believe her truly unaffected. Even now her eyes did not sparkle as they usually did. Instead they searched his visage for any sign of deception, though painful it might be to accept.

Finally she accepted him to be truthful. " You give me no privacy to refuse, if I am so inclined, to start," She stated in mock teasing. " And then my father's permission must be given, not that he'd refuse you,"

" Are you accepting my offer, Miss Lizzy?" Silas Rowley asked in return. He never looked away, yet he wanted to hide the nervousness wrecking his composure. Her ever-smiling eyes, though more thoughtful now, and ready laughter surely on the tip of her tongue resembled mockery if they were to engage him in teasing. One did not just offer during an assembly, but Mr. Rowley saw no way past Mrs. Bennet except by an assembly. He wanted no more of Jane's one sided conversation than he did Mrs. Bennet's pointed conversation that flooded all sensibility.

The music ended for the first dance. She hesitantly answered for fear of harming his good character. " I would not refuse your hand sir, but of all places –"

Silas openly sighed and placed a kiss on her hand. " Your mother thrusts Jane at me most often, and we rarely are able to walk in peace. Kitty and Lydia often want to talk of my officer brother and your father often jests about your mother and sisters' silliness. How am I to ever have a private audience without embarrassing you?"

Slowly the nerves eased from Elizabeth. His reasoning was very sound, all of it true. Ever since Timothy joined the military – the navy to be exact – Lydia hounded him for any and all information about Timothy. Of course Ruth Bennet pushed Jane toward Silas at every visit and often tried to prevent Lizzy from spending any time with Mr. Rowley. Her father favored sane company, so rarely did they ever talk in confidence from the age of 16 and on.

" When will you ask for father's permission?" She asked next ." You did ask for his permission?"

In truth, Silas always had the old man's permission. Almost every visit after his return from university, Elias Bennet hinted the young man should commit to the relationship he steadfastly clung to. Silas pretended to not know what the old man meant each time, sparking a conversation about social expectations and gentlemen honor.

" He already said yes,"

" Does mother know?" She whispered the last question as the second dance closed the set. He shook his head and handed her off to Charlotte. " Charlotte, Mr. Rowley just informed me that our neighbors are possibly taking to town for the winter. How dreadful to lose their company,"

Excusing himself, Silas reported to his father the good news. Elizabeth played off the proposal as best she could through deflection and change of subjects, though Charlotte suspected something under foot. Emmeline Bingley cheerfully danced another set with the young Mr. Long before the night ended, otherwise she stayed loyally at the ladies' side. Aside from the one comment about Mr. Bingley being inconstant, as he proved by promising to dine three courses with the Bennets and then failing to do so before the assembly, Emmeline spoke well of her brother – as a loving sister ought to.

The coach ride home provided much to talk of. Lydia danced the entire night. Kitty spoke highly of Priscilla Bingley's good manners and ability to take joy in such a minor assembly. Jane's good opinion of Louisa Hurst and Caroline Bingley aided Mrs. Bennet's generally given approval of the high fashioned ladies. The level of exuberance punished Mr. Bennet's quiet time, as Kitty's coughing, and Lydia constantly shushing Kitty, battled to state who enjoyed the night the most. Mary departed for bed with her father's permission, while Jane and Elizabeth half-heartedly took an interest in what their younger sisters had to say.

Nothing new emerged. No young man yet marked Kitty or Lydia with special attentions. Mr. Long danced just as often with others as he did them, and Mr. Crown, though being more equal in wealth to them, showed no interest in marriage. Mr. Miller showed some interest in Kitty, but he was a poor young man. As the third son with no advanced schooling or the scholarships to go to schooling just yet, Kitty would be living on the goodwill of his parents who already supported two other sons, one married already.

Mr. Bennet just smiled at his favorite daughter after she told him in confidence of Silas Rowley's proposal, their shared secret safe until two days later when Mr. Rowley attended dinner. They settled at the table and began to speak of the weather when Silas asked Elizabeth how long she wished the engagement. " I want you comfortable when you remove yourself from Longbourn as Mrs. Silas Rowley," He explained his reasoning with no prior knowledge Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth withheld the information from everyone.

Several things happened at once. All conversation ceased, Kitty and Lydia gaping at Elizabeth in absolute shock, Jane paled, and Mrs. Bennet nearly choked on the bite of food mid-swallow. Mary kept on eating as if she heard nothing, and truly she did not care.

Elizabeth pretended that the duck deserved more attention than Lydia, Kitty, and her mother. Jane would scold her later, and Mary still did not care. " As long you need, Mr. Rowley," Laughter danced within her answer, infuriating Lydia that her sisters would marry before her – even though she was the youngest.

Kitty sipped her tea. " But when did you offer, sir? You have not visited since a week before the assembly," Kitty would remember too, as she still fawned over a red coat just as much as Lydia. Marriage to her meant nothing without social engagements.

" At the assembly," Silas answered. " I imagine you wish to know of Timothy too, if he is ready to marry, but I assure you that he is not," Lydia's hope dropped and her appetite vanished. Her exclamations of her figure being fat fell on deaf ears.

Jane quietly observed Mary's complete lack of interest and Elizabeth's total amusement, wishing she could find joy in it or at least neutrality. She knew her mother would push harder than ever for her to marry with Lizzy betrothed. Mrs. Bennet had no comment as her small mind sought some way to console Jane, support Lydia, and undermine Elizabeth's success. It was to any degree impossible, and thus she only continued to gape.

Talk then turned toward the Rowleys and their land, the weather again, Mr. Bingley's intentions for Netherfield and lastly how soon Silas would marry Elizabeth. " I suspect, sir, you wish to see your wife in your home within four to five weeks," Mrs. Bennet ventured cautiously as she weighed the options before her.

It was no secret to Hertfordshire that Mrs. Bennet favored Jane and Lydia and cared not a bit for her other daughters. Jane's beauty could be called extraordinary combined with her perfect posture, light colored hair, expressive blue eyes, and demure character. She despised Elizabeth purely because Mr. Bennet strongly supported Elizabeth's intellectual abilities. Mrs. Bennet believed a stupid wife preferable whereas Mr. Bennet believed domestic felicity all important. Lydia most closely resembled her, and since she was never wrong or out of bounds, Lydia never could be either.

Silas offered Mrs. Bennet relief. " Yes, and I intend to keep her in esteem, Mrs. Bennet. She is a treasure. Have you heard her play?"

" But is Lizzy truly a proficient on the pianoforte, Mr. Rowley, or is your infatuation blinding you?"

" You wound me, Mrs. Bennet, for believing that I am blinded by infatuation. Truly I believe Lizzy an extraordinary lady with many achievements and none of the Ton's falsehoods,"

" Falsehoods, sir?" Mr. Bennet asked curiously, finally distracted from his own vault of thoughts.

" Indeed, sir, falsehoods. The arts and allurements used by such ladies is impossible to respect or trust. How am I to sketch their characters if they are purposefully misleading me, and I am of little consequence compared to Mr. Darcy of Derbyshire earning nearly 10,000 per annum. The mean income is at least 6,000 per annum, and all they care for is lineage or dowry. No, I prefer a country girl, one who is honest and loyal,"

Jane cleared her throat. " But of these achievements you speak, sir, you know we had no governess to teach them," A clear mistake on their mother's part, but Mrs. Ruth Bennet despised her mother-in-law for reasons unknown. The dowager Mrs. Bennet offered to pay for a governess and at first Mr. Bennet accepted the generosity. Then his mother passed away in her sleep, and the governess they were to hire was sent away before she could even begin the music and art lessons.

" Lizzy always had a way of sharpening her mind, a very desirable trait, and she took lessons from my mother on the pianoforte along with Mary," Silas gently reminded Jane, as she too been offered the opportunity but refused it.

Mr. Bennet cleared the table, claiming Mr. Rowley for himself and leaving Elizabeth to the mercy of her mother. Jane positioned herself next to Elizabeth as their mother stood over Elizabeth in simmering anger yet to fully implode and consequently explode. " How could you not tell me you were engaged? And with your sister not yet betrothed, think of the insult to Jane. You can not marry Mr. Rowley until Mr. Bingley has offered to Jane. I forbid it,"

" Ha,ha! Lizzy can't marry Mr. Rowley after all," Lydia crowed as she plucked at knotted thread to untangle it. Most of her thread for needlepoint tangled because she did not properly store it away. A strong look of reproach from Jane only encouraged the bad behavior, Kitty not daring to join in as she saw no reason to mock Elizabeth for an honorable choice.

But Elizabeth didn't care what her mother felt or wanted. She knew Jane did not take it as an insult to marry after her and therefore resolved to be happy. " No, you can not take this from me as you have taken from me everything else. I am not Jane or Lydia, nor do I want to be. You should be happy I am to marry respectably," The drawing room doors poorly concealed the growing volume from the all-knowing servants Mrs Hill, Sarah, and Lucy.

Wisely silent, Mary and Kitty watched in fear as Elizabeth challenged their mother's will. Jane refused to intervene as it meant actually condemning their mother.

" I will cast you out of this house if you-"

" Go ahead, Mama, and explain to Mr. Rowley why you did," This shut everyone up as they understood the advantage Elizabeth held over their narrowly focused mother. " How will you tell him that you refuse to acknowledge me because you want your precious Jane to marry first? To a man whose inconstant attentions even his sister warns against. You are turning Jane into a mockery-"

" Hold your tongue,"

But Elizabeth determined to have the last word, and have the last word she did. " I love Silas, Mama, and he loves me. I will marry him whether you wish it or not," Elizabeth left the drawing room with tears in her eyes and dread in her heart.

The door barely closed when Lydia opened her mouth. " Lord, she is such a dramatic. It's not as if anyone actually cares if she marries. It's not as if Lizzy matters-"

" She is still our sister," Mary spoke up finally in the same near emotionless manner she almost always spoke. " And if she wants to marry, who are you to judge?"

" But don't you see, Mary? The only people that matter is Jane and myself. For I am Mama's favorite and Jane will make all our fortunes by marrying the rich Mr. Bingley, won't you, Jane? Even if he is inconstant. Oh think of it, if we were so finely dressed as they were-"

Kitty traded dark glances with Jane, both suspecting that Lydia would do whatever she needed to do to secure whatever she wanted. They needed to reign it in. Mrs. Bennet went off on another tangent about marriage, husbands, red coats, and wealth like she always did every day. Mary surprisingly upheld Elizabeth as a character model that they should mimic, stating Fordyce as evidence and support. By the time the gentlemen returned to the drawing room, Elizabeth prepared for an early sleep and Jane developed a headache. Lydia's rash mouth didn't help matters as she let slip that Lizzy and Mama were arguing about Lizzy's upcoming marriage. Jane excused herself , Kitty tried to distract Lydia with backgammon, and Mr. Bennet smirked through it all. When Mr. Rowley departed, he promised himself to never embarassf Lizzy as much as her own mother.

Jane's spirits however were not dampened by the intelligence Elizabeth shouted to all of the drawing room nor her honor impugned by both her mother and sister. She cheerfully absolved Elizabeth of all guilt and spoke warmly of the man that captured her attentions. " He is what a young man ought to be," They walked toward Meryton with Kitty and Lydia leading. " Such good breeding without the stiffness,"

" But truly, Jane, do you not fear him breaking your heart?"

" Oh, Lizzy, I can no more guard my heart than he can resist smiling. I take the warning to heart and I know you mean well. It was wrong of Mama to say that,"

" Miss Emmeline did say that Lyida is wild and after last night I am obliged to believe her. She's an unbiased lady from the North of England who is associated with wealth and knows what is respectable,"

Jane nodded, adjusting her spencer jacket so it did not bunch up under her armpit. " The Miss Bingleys will stay with him as well the Hursts. Once you get to know them, they are fine ladies and reasonably agreeable," She held her head high even as her spirit struggled under the weight of the often repeated hope that she – Jane Bennet – would raise their fortunes by her beauty alone. Unlike Silas Rowley, Jane had no one to sing her praises.

Still Elizabeth did not believe her and distrusted her overwhelming good opinion of everyone refusing to see evil where it lay. " May we trust they will be good neighbors in this county," Letting the subject fall, they continued the walk in silence.


	3. Chapter 3

The Rowlings were a respected family of Hertfordshire and like most families that could afford the doctor, apothecary, servants, and excessive pin money, the Rowleys birthed an heir and spare. Silas barely survived childhood, almost granting Timothy the inheritance. The Rowleys often intermingled with the Bennets and Lucass, exposing Silas to Elizabeth at a young age of seven. Over the years the pair bonded more than any of the other Bennet girls due to their shared characters. Silas loved to laugh and Lizzy's wit kept him on his toes. Jane enthralled him at first by her beauty, but then she never blossomed out of shyness.

As the son of a gentlemen, he promised to marry a gentleman's daughter. At first his mother attempted to endear him to the Robinson's oldest daughter, but she hated him and he wanted nothing to do with her excessive pride. Eventually his mother invited family friends from the south, and for a year, he tolerated Emma Grantley's arts and allurements. Only his time with Charlotte Lucas, Jane Bennet, Elizabeth Bennet, and Mary Bennet convinced him not all ladies were so silly.

Somehow, some way he fell for Lizzy Bennet. He most accurately pinpointed the moment of infatuation turning into love to the infamous time she pushed Lydia into a pond on Rowley grounds for attempting to flirt with him. She'd been newly turned 19 and Lydia 14. Lydia's figure filled in earlier than all of her sister's, and she used it to her advantage greatly – until she trespassed onto what Elizabeth considered _hers_. In a moment, Lydia had been standing at the edge of the pond and the next Lizzy pushed her into the water. A high screech escaped Lydia's mouth followed rapidly by the splash of water, cries for help, and all the while Lizzy turned to face him and asked if he were in good health – as she learned he overcome a cold recently.

" Lydia's drowning, Eliza-" He tried to say seriously without breaking into laughter at the sight of Lydia in no danger of drowning but acting as if she would.

" Good, maybe she'll stop flirting and start learning to be a lady," She snapped back at him in proper irritation. He doubted pushing her into a pond would solve the impertinence of Lydia Bennet.

" If you don't save her-" He made to undress now, halfway through removing his outer coat.

She then removed her spencer jacket and then her walking shoes. She muttered something and then wedded into the pond fearlessly. She eventually pulled a thoroughly drenched and muddied Lydia out of the pond, all the while Silas could not stop smiling or shaking with silent laughter.

Perhaps it was Elizabeth's fearlessness in punishing her sister in a most sisterly fashion and in turn pulling her sister out of the pond. Perhaps it was her willing honesty to reveal her honest character. It might be flawed, but Silas preferred the flaws over perfection.

So when Silas announced to his parents, after returning from university and discovering Elizabeth Bennet unbetrothed and without suitor, that he intended to offer to Elizabeth Bennet. His mother protested the lack of dowry. His father warned him about taking Mrs. Bennet in when Longbourn entailed away finally. Timothy would've warned him against the Bennets in general, but he held no personal objections against Elizabeth. Therefore Elizabeth's reception into the family only suffered because of her family's generally bad reputation.

" Elizabeth accepted my hand," He announced the following morning of the assembly. Hannah Rowley barely lifted her gaze from her food. " And her father has already granted permission,"

" Per-permission?" Marina stuttered. A table separated them, a fact that Silas should've been grateful for given her hatred of fortune hunters. " She is poor, no dowry, and without regard for her betters. Her younger sisters are complete mockeries, and Mr. Miller is a fool for fancying Miss Catherine. Their mother is mercenary and tactless-"

Father and son shared a silent promise to put Marina in her proper place. Hannah chuckled at her child's resistance, already expected through previous years of refused acquaintance with the Bennets.

"-and Jane – though beautiful she is without education and intelligence,"

" Marina, you will not be birthing my children, so someone must. Besides the ton is the marriage mart for fortune hunters, and their mothers even more mercenary,"

" But they have dowries, titles, and connections,"

" Which are of what use to us? We are poor, Marina, in comparison to the likes of Darcy. One famine and we will be as poor as the Bennets. The Lucass are not better off making around 3,500 per annum. The Longs may bring in 4,000 per annum, but they have no daughter and the Robinsons – I'd prefer my wife not poison my meal or bludgeon me when I sleep,"

" Miss Lavinia would never," Marina's knuckles turned white as she gripped her hands together.

" Of all the ladies I have grown with, only Miss Wilder offers an equal or better opportunity. And she is betrothed to Mr. Richard Fitzwilliam,"

All the restraint in Marina threatened to snap. " Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, a respectable Viscount,"

" I am of no temptation to the ladies of the mart, but you – you are of interest to sixpence poor in wealthy and wealthy in title Earls. Your dowry would make you a Lady one day if you leverage it properly,"

" I am not a fortune hunter like the Bennets," She declared, amusing her mother infinitely. Sibling rivalry never ceased between the children, though Timothy escaped to the Navy. He contributed indirectly by causing legal problems for himself and needing their father to break him out of it.

Mrs. Rowley dismissed the servants, not wishing them to think less of the family in a moment like this. She always thought of the lower class and the burden of serving others. Mrs. Rose Rowley taught her that well when the previous mistress still lived. Rose Rowley never approved of Hannah's lacking connections and often demanded excessive respect and preference up to the day she died. Never once did Hannah ever mistreat a servant knowing the pride and ego they needed to suppress and observe class restrictions.

" You're acting like one now by refusing to acknowledge Lizzy as a respectable lady,"

" You could never see past her, not even for Miss Grantley- who was superior in all that marks a lady,"

Miles clasped his hands on the table. " I daresay Miss Grantley never predicted you to not take an interest in her 15,000 pounds, but you must see the parson for the banns, unless you plan on purchasing a license. In either case, arguing with your sister is not aiding you in marrying Miss Bennet,"

Silas rose from the table quickly, excused himself of his parents and sister. Hannah placed one hand on her daughter's fisted hands. " Calm yourself, Marina. It could be worse. You could be having Miss Catherine or Miss Lydia as a sister,"

Parson Brook congratulated Silas on the wise choice in wife, sending him back to his father with full blessing. When Mr. Bingley appeared on his father's steps three days later, he expected the young man to inquire about Jane Bennet. Instead Mr. Bingley wished to learn more of Hertfordshire. Of the four and twenty families they discussed those of real consequence. The wealthiest family being the Boulangers and Wilders, each respectably earning 7,000 per annum. As their conversation drifted from the wealthiest to the poor families of consequence, Mr. Bingley made his interest known.

" Jane Bennet is an angel, I have never seen so many pretty girls in my life. Hertfordshire is such a happy place to be. I wish to never leave it," Silas reviewed the steward's numbers first from behind the large, ornate desk. Bingley's ability to pace impressed even him, a man known to be especially active.

His gaze lifted off the list of numbers, totals of the costs the steward predicted for the upcoming spring given the current fall and approaching winter. " You are aware that her dowry passes onto her when her mother passes?"

" You must be speaking of the entail, she already told me-"

" No, Bingley, I am speaking of when Mrs. Ruth Bennet passes. Jane will only inherit 1,000 pounds,"

" Fortune is of no interest to me, though my sisters declare it priority one,"

" Your sisters understand that a dowry passes onto daughters, which you should likewise understand, but if you come to care for her, then love is love,"

" Love is love? That is a modern view of love and marriage, sir," Overwhelming approval did not ease the burden on Silas's shoulders, though hearing the young man agree with him certainly gave him hope that not all men would think him a fool for marrying someone with so little a dowry.

" I am marrying her sister, Bingley. Miss Elizabeth will become Mrs Silas Rowley Love is love, and in Hertfordshire we look after our own. The way I see it, it's 1,000 less I have to save,"

" What a fine way to view it," Charles Bingley planned to use it against Caroline and Louisa when he returned to Netherfield. Finally he stopped pacing. " Well, I should leave you to your financial matters, Mr. Rowley,"

As Silas watched him leave, he wondered how fast Mrs. Bennet would eat him alive. Well no worries. Jane Bennet surely would save him before her mother carried out the open scheme as Mrs. Bennet possessed no stealth ability. She bared exhibited shame.

" What a delightfully-" His father's familiar deep voice disturbed him from his attempt to focus on the task at hand. " -naïve wealthy young man. I dare say Mrs Bennet will drive him from his own home soon enough," His father entered the library, one of the most richly furnished rooms of the house.

" Try not to sound so happy about it," The thought of needing to look after a woman prattling about her nerves constantly made his own tolerance wane. If he didn't love Elizabeth, he would never have offered to the Bennets on the threat of Mrs. Bennet's presence.

His father just moved to the book shelves. " You will have to take her in when Mr. Bennet dies,"

" Not if Mr. Bingley marries Jane," Silas pointed out, his father conceding the point. " And besides, we should ally with Mr. Bingley. He is a man of 4,000 to 5,000 per annum after all,"

" If he purchases Netherfield, we will be able to contain the Bennets for certain, and the Wilders are more than willing to take Marina into town with them,"

" Marina and Miss Clara are quite close, and why should we be surprised? Next to Jane Bennet she is the kindest lady I know, and sadly already betrothed," Considering the 25,000 pounds she carried with her into marriage, he wanted to offer as early as the age of 18, but he wanted to claim something other than an estate before offering to a lady. Another gentleman of more consequence claimed her hand a mere month before his return from university. His mother scolded him for not offering sooner, for surely Miss Clara would have accepted him.

" A shame as the 25,000 would have been quite the dowry for any daughters you have," Mr. Miles Rowley now scanned the extensive shelves for his favorite books on architecture and the art of debate. " How do you intend to keep your mother and Mrs. Bennet from killing each other I do not know,"

Silas put down the ledger. " What do you really wish to say? These numbers need addressed before I can respond to any letters from the attorney," He loathed how his father dodged the less desirable topics while wishing to address them all the same.

" Only that you should consider how to calm your mother, still Mrs. Bennet's fainting spells – or worse yet – her screeching, because we will not tolerate her bad behavior here while I am alive,"

" Will you at least promise me to never judge Elizabeth by her family then? She is the sort of lady who knows when to laugh, when to smile, and when to feign a headache with some respect."

Miles Rowley wanted to please his son without displeasing his wife. Happy wife, happy life – as he oft heard it said. " She has always been a respectable lady, and I find her the least tiresome. Your mother appreciates her desire to learn and to grow,"

" Should I be taking tea with my mother, since it appears she dispatched you-"

" Silas, how do you intend to care for five sisters? If Mr. Bingley does not marry Jane, who will take her? A poor sap who is besotted by her overwhelming beauty and overlooks her mother's scheming, as you are with Miss Elizabeth. And Catherine and Lydia, how they chase and flirt. You would need to hire two lady maids to tend to them, plus the companion to make them socially able to be active as they are,"

" The more his father went on the more Silas wanted to beat him with the thick and heavy ledger. He covered his head with his hands, a sure sign he no longer intently listened or cared.

" And Mr. Bennet himself is laughable. He does not reign them in, instead he makes merry of their demise. Tell me that this is all acceptable to you," The moment he saw the twinkle in his son's eyes and sighed. " No. None of what I just stated is a challenge for you to undertake,"

" Too late,"

He took the book on Greek architecture with him as Silas still needed to address legal papers surrounding Timothy's naval affairs. Miles Rowley joined his wife in the drawing room. " Our son is an idiot, Mrs. Rowley,"

" Did you list the ways Miss Bennet is wrong for him? Or perhaps how ridiculous the family is?" His wife answered readily, looking away from her drawing of a bowl of fruit. " Because you know he loves a challenge,"

" I told him that he needs a more suitable wife with respectable connections,"

" Miss Elizabeth is charming, Miles. She makes me feel young again, and you do not see the way Silas looks at her. She set the sun and stars and not even Miss Clara could make him smile half as much as her,"

" And you are against me too!" Miles now firmly believed himself on the losing end of what should've been an obvious and easy victory. While he loathed to trespass on the good honor of Elizabeth Bennet, he wanted his family less vulnerable. " Has my whole family turned against me?"

" I'm sure that Marina will protest it. She hoped for anyone but a Bennet," Hannah said with some seriousness. " As long as Ruth Bennet does not storm this house, I care not," The thought of that woman disrupting her peace and quiet put Hannah Rowley in a foul mood.

With the matter aside, Miles observed his wife's profile. Particularly the fullness of her face and the thickness of hair that age had not yet thinned, he admired what he always admired. " Mr. Bingley is smitten with Jane Bennet. Mrs. Bennet has thrown the same lady in the way of a cold, as Mr. Jones tells us. You would never do that to Marina,"

" Course not, but the woman does have five daughters. So many to marry so small a dowry. As I hate to admit it, any woman would be desperate," The woman returned to drawing the bowl of fruit. " I suspect that Mrs. Bennet will regal us all with the particular of Miss Jane Bennet's time with the Bingleys,"

Unable to come to terms with the madness surrounding him, Miles Rowley hoped his daughter offered the relief of a more respectable marriage. She understood her duties to the family even if Silas cast them aside in favor of marrying for love. Whoever married for love? He married Hannah Rowley nee Abbot for her dowry, a hefty 20,000 pounds, which was now settled on Marina. Marina wanted to marry for wealth although she only discussed it once with her parents and out of the company of her brothers.

Watching his wife's skilled hand draw and then paint the fruit bowl onto a canvas, Miles tried to remain calm.

Scene Break

" Charles, you would not believe what Miss Eliza said to us. She is to be married, and has no fortune. Oh I pity the man who takes her as his wife. She has this conceited independence," Caroline confronted him the moment he entered the drawing room. He hated when she wore the color puce. It did not suit her skin at all, although he never said this to the lady for fear of what she might say in return.

Mr. Bingley was a strange young man. He was equal parts inconstant, indecisive, and overwhelmingly amiable. Due to his overall good character, he trusted everyone and wanted everyone's opinion without the structure of sense overwhelming whim. Caroline and Louisa ruled him however as they often demanded the best, expected his obedience, and took offense to country life in general. If it weren't for Emmeline and Priscilla to keep the greedy ladies in check, then Mr. Bingley may very well been poor by now.

" Yes, I just spoke with the man in question. He is very respectable, much like Darcy-"

" And when is Mr. Darcy joining us, Charles?" Naturally Caroline demanded the very question that nagged at her own overwhelming greed. " Will he bring Miss Darcy with him? I so miss Georgie's company. Don't we, Louisa?"

Bobbing her head in agreement, Louisa echoed Caroline's desire to see Charles married to Georgiana. Caroline's desire to marry Fitzwilliam Darcy was known by all, and often her sisters uniformly teased her about it. No amount of goodwill teasing assured Louisa, Emmeline, and Priscilla that Darcy took an interest in Caroline. They all visited Pemberley before, and while it was a handsome home, Darcy showed no inclination to marry. He tolerated Caroline for the sake of Charles, a hefty sacrifice as Darcy could barely tolerate her unpermitted use of Georgiana's Christian name and the incessant questions into his affairs.

Taking a seat, Charles looked his sister's in the eye. " The day after tomorrow,"

" Eliza is marrying tomorrow," Caroline announced with some disgust, though Charles knew not why. Once again, she used someone's Christian name without their permission. " Louisa and I determined we are not to know her,"

At that moment, Elizabeth helped Jane into the drawing room. Although still frail and recovering, Jane wished to not hold Elizabeth back from marrying. Their mother stalled Jane's stay at Netherfield as long as possible, much to the horror of Caroline Bingley. Elizabeth took very little pleasure in the stay at Netherfield and after a spat over what makes an accomplished lady with Caroline and Louisa, she never wanted to stay a week with them again.

Louisa first responded, rushing forward to express her gratitude while Emmeline and Priscilla drifted into the drawing room to say goodbye to the wonderful companions. Caroline stayed next Charles, civil and unaffectionate. " You are a dear, sweet girl, and we hope under better terms, you come back to dine with us again."

" I would like that very much," Jane said covering her nose and mouth before sneezing. " I am sorry my mother forced herself on you, Louisa. She does not know boundaries at all,"

" It was nothing-" Charles started to say.

Caroline cut him off. " The ball will be a splendid celebration and you will all be invited," The false cheer made the younger Bingley wince. For all her boasting of being a lady, Caroline rarely practiced good manners and no one called her on it because she was of a wealthy family. Wealth apparently reigned supreme in town, outweighed by title only.

Priscilla and Emmeline moved forward and embraced Jane Bennet together. " I hope next dining invitation is not met with rain, and if it is, we shall send a carriage,"

" And it shall be soon," Emmeline promised. " As we are to dine with the Wilders, Boulangers, and Robinsons. What a merry party it will be with all the Bennets in attendance,"

" Honestly, Eliza, next you visit you must tell us about your new home. Charles said they had the largest library he'd seen," Priscilla stalled their leaving knowing full well that once the Bennet sisters departed, Caroline and Louisa would turn into wicked gossips and Mr. Hurst would pass out drunk.

" Do not forget about the ball either, oh how could you when Lydia particularly wished it and our brother is so obliging,"

" And Jane, we must show you how to play the pianoforte. To see you play for Charles would be exquisite-"

Seeing as the younger Bingleys would hold them hostage through conversation, Elizabeth cut them off no matter how pleasing they were. " We must leave, Miss Emmeline, Miss Priscilla. You are welcome to call upon me at the Rowley house of course, and Longbourn too,"

Charles, seeing his lovely Jane removed, escorted the ladies to the carriage. Emmeline waved after them while Priscilla inwardly celebrated another one of her brother's infatuations. " I will marry, Priscilla. Mark my words," He promised in full faith.

" That's what you said about the last five ladies, brother," Emmeline curtly reminded him wishing to not hold the responsibility of soothing another broken heart.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been four days since Elizabeth married Silas. The morning meal after the wedding provided the Bennets distractions till Mr. Collins arrived later that afternoon. Mr. Collins paid his congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Silas Rowley at the Rowley house and went on a long winded discussion of a parson's duty to marry properly. He revealed to the Rowleys that he intended to marry one of the Bennet girls as to heal the breach between his father and uncle. Elizabeth, upon seeing his figure and questionable sound character, praised the heavens Silas offered when he had. Since the day of their wedding, Mr. Collins did not visit them again. Mrs. Bennet held her silence and refused to visit her second-born daughter in her new home, though Jane visited twice and Kitty every day. Aunt Phillips called upon her the same day after Mr. Collins and her nieces visited while in Meryton.

" He is a wonderful young man, so full of reverence for Lady de Bourg of Rosings Park. He doted on Jane till he realized Mr. Bingley currently marked her with special attention. Then he favored Mary, and as they both do not dance, he turned the pages of the sheet music for her."

" I am happy for Mary then," Elizabeth said as Marina entered the breakfast parlor. " Marina, have you met my Aunt Phillips?"

Marina Rowley curtsied, in return Judith Phillips curtsied.

" Miss Rowley, I have been told you are to go to London for the winter,"

" Yes, Ma-am," Marina answered curtly. She disliked the Bennets for propriety reasons and in extension Mrs. Phillips. With Elizabeth residing in the home and to take it over as mistress when her father passed, she practiced tolerance only tolerably well. Therefore Mrs. Phillips did not earn an engaged response.

Not one to be cast aside so easily, Mrs. Phillips pressed. " Do you have family in London?"

" No, Ma-am. Miss Wilder is taking me as a companion,"

" Miss Wilder is divine," Aunt Phillips declared in reverent respect. " Such a beauty and well mannered. How many more months till she is married?"

" Eight, Ma-am," Marina sighed, now not remembering why she entered the breakfast parlor. " Excuse me. I am needed by my mother,"

Once alone again, Judith Phillips happily talked of Mr. Phillips sending their eldest to university for law so that he could take over the family business. She returned to the idea of Mary marrying a parson multiple times – to the point that Elizabeth worried how their mother would treat Mary as future mistress of Longbourn. Once she left the house, the former Bennet joined her mother-in-law in the music room where Marina played the pianoforte flawlessly. Mrs. Hannah Rowley painted a landscape portrait of the view just out the window.

" How did the visit go, Eliza?" Hannah asked politely, as Marina refused to look away from her favored musical instrument. The music room also boasted of a harp, and Marina would practice on it tomorrow as her tutoring schedule alternated instruments.

Settling near her mother-in-law, Elizabeth weighed what to speak of and what not to speak of while in their general company. She saw no harm in revealing her mother's schemes, however, as all of Hertfordshire mocked it in some manner or another. " Mama is encouraging a union between my cousin Mr. Collins and my sister Mary. I should visit to see if Mary is taking the attention well,"

" Send for the carriage if you wish," Hannah tried not to sound as if Elizabeth needed permission, but that was how it came out and she resigned herself to the fact that they all shared a carriage now for their pursuits. Marina especially did not like sharing the carriage, even though Miss Wilder visited often enough Marina never needed to leave the Rowley estate unless she wanted. Hannah would visit everyone once a week, on schedule, as it was the best way for her to maintain her sanity. Today was the day that she spent at home without being bothered by anyone.

Marina slowed the pace and crawled into the next song with careful attention to fingering over vocals. " I will not. Mama would not appreciate the interference and I am quite certain Kitty will wish to visit again,"

" She can not play well at all-" Marina complained from the pianoforte bench.

Tiring of her sister-in-law's rude and dismissive behavior, Elizabeth cut her off. " No, she can not. I believe she tires of hearing Lydia talk of officers," The elder Mrs. Rowley nodded along, keeping half her focus on the conversation as she painted the window panel frames. " Mr. Denny formed a design on Lydia, and Mama is enthralled by it. Papa will do nothing about it, and Kitty is the lone voice of censure,"

" Jane will not aid in being a voice of reason?" Hannah asked in true confusion and surprise. Marina's secreted glance coupled with pounding on the keys answered exactly how she felt about the subject. " How can she be of use to Mr. Bingley if she is so…"

Silence fell between the ladies as Marina's wonderful music turned into childish pounding.

Elizabeth rubbed her forehead. " Obliging?" She did not know why Marina Rowley hated her, she did the young lady no wrong. " Sweet tempered and sound of mind, yes. Mr. Bingley will have to make up for her faults for being too obliging," She shivered at the idea of Jane being alone. Of all the Bennet girls, Jane was the most beautiful, and of all the girls, Jane deserved the honor of marriage too. Dear, sweet Jane.

" Marina, will you remove yourself from the pianoforte and take up the harp again if you can not cool yourself?" Hannah demanded in rising irritation.

" Are we to rescue all the Bennets?" Marina demanded out of nowhere. " My nerves can not handle it,"

Both Elizabeth and Hannah gave her a look to cease. " You are not my mother and your nerves are perfectly healthy." Elizabeth barely glanced in her direction. " You are Silas's sister, not his wife, and you are still only a woman. What you desire if unimportant," Hannah sighed and left the ladies to their feuding. It did not end till dinner, at which all the ladies pretended nothing happened. Neither father or son suspected anything amiss.

After dinner Marina played the pianoforte while Elizabeth talked to Silas about offering to take Kitty with them when they toured England in coming spring. " She will need the break from Lydia and I would not mind the company while you conduct business," Her husband's contacts in London offered connections he could use to spread his own influence although he never would be a barrister.

" As noble the idea, Love, I'd prefer that to be our time, as we spend so little of it together now," During the days Silas conducted business with Mr. Phillips and his father. During the evenings, he allocated most of his attentions on Elizabeth. Naturally Marina acted like Lydia and vied for her brother's attentions, but he brushed her off in favor of his beloved's smiles, laughs, and wit. Just like now, he attentively held her hand and read her book over her shoulder with her.

" She visits daily and always complains of Lydia. Her health is not so strong as everyone elses's. I worry for her,"

" I will consider allowing her to travel with us to London but I promise no more," Silas adored Elizabeth and since he claimed her as his wife, in the full sense of the word, he learned of her desire to nurture and protect. Kitty's daily visits did not escape his notice and he fully intended to offer aid appropriately. At the moment however his body lusted after hers, and the marriage bed offered delights unparalleled. Which is exactly why his father cleared his throat loudly, and Silas quickly removed his hand from Elizabeth's, averting his eyes upward instead of at her breasts. She had not noticed and the sudden withdrawal of his hand startled her from the book filled with the work of Shakespeare.

" Mine," She reclaimed his hand and continued reading. He raised their joined hands and planted a kiss on their entwined fingers. Their domestic felicity disgusted Marina Rowley and she fled the sight of the artful fortune hunter for temporary relief.

Scene Break

Kitty's nightmare of Longbourn only began to compound once Elizabeth married Mr. Rowley. Mama permitted Lydia to spend countless hours with Mr. Denny each day while Jane waited the remaining days for the ball to take place so that she could dance with Mr. Bingley again. All their hopes rested on Jane's shoulders as Mrs. Bennet assured them all that Lizzy would never help them. " That is very unkind, Mama. You know Lizzy would never abandon us," Jane spoke up, lifting her head of the settee only to lay flatter. " It is more likely that the Rowleys do not have the means,"

" Do not have the means? La! They make three to four thousand per annum," Ruth Bennet announced with considerable venom. " What is an additional 100 per annum for Lydia-"

" Mama, even if they were half as generous, Lydia is the youngest," Kitty turned from the window. " And from the time she spends with Mr. Denny, she'll outstrip even Mr. Bingley. A red coat is all important in this house,"

" Don't sound so bitter, Kitty. If you are lucky, a red coat will take an interest in you too,"

" I do not want a red coat, nor should Lydia be allowed to marry a sixpence poor officer,"

" I believe Lizzy is right. You only care about Jane and Lydia. Mary and I are nothing, and you would gladly give us up to Mr. Collins without a concern how we feel. He looks at Jane like the less honorable officers – like Mr. Denny looks at Lydia-"

" And why should he not? She's a beautiful-"

Jane closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. " Mama, Kitty raises a fair point. The way Mr. Denny looks at Lydia will compromise her. She must quit his company or forever be ruined. The Rowleys are not to be responsible for us, nor is Lizzy. I know not why you dislike her, she had done you no wrong," Since Elizabeth started taking after their father, their mother gave up on Lizzy's advancement in society. Mary's similar pursuits, more godly in nature, granted indifference instead. Kitty only garnered attention because she followed Lydia everywhere even though Lydia was younger by two years. If only beauty or similarity of character earned their mother's approval, Jane preferred to have no beauty at all in the house.

Silence eclipsed Mrs. Bennet as the censure stung. Kitty sank onto a chair and studied the fire keeping the chill of fall's rain from the drawing room. Wrapping the shawl tighter around her shoulders, the second youngest daughter contemplated her future. " Jane, what do the Bingleys think of us?" She finally asked, an examination of her character currently underway. Oh how silly Hertfordshire must think her to be.

Five days after the Meryton assembly, the Bingley sisters and Mrs. Hurst called upon them at Longbourn. They returned the visit in kind two days later. A party at Lucas Lodge the following day of them calling on the Bingleys and Mrs. Hurst enlightened Jane more than she'd already been enlightened. Charlotte and Maria Lucas both confided in her of their shared dislike of Caroline Bingley's rudeness.

" She slighted me, Jane. And she said that Charlotte would never marry," Maria complained immediately in hushed whispers. " And Mrs. Hurst agreed with her!"

Charlotte's neutral façade slipped long enough for Jane to think less of Caroline. Louisa Hurst most likely just agreed because it was the sisterly thing to do. " At least Miss Emmeline and Miss Priscilla are enjoying themselves. They are dancing with Mr. Miller and Mr. Crown now. It appears Lydia is flirting with Mr. Long again. I hope that he does not take her as his wife,"

" Why do you say that, Charlotte?" Jane envied Elizabeth to be able to stay at her husband's side now, almost resenting Lizzy for escaping their mother. Look at her laugh at some jest Silas made! She should be doing that with Mr. Bingley now.

Thoughts returning to the present, she sighed deeply. As Jane related in open frankness with Kitty of Emmeline and Priscilla's dislike of Lydia's behavior, Ruth Bennet abandoned Jane and Kitty to the drawing room in favor of the breakfast parlor where Lydia and Mr. Denny stayed with Mary reading a book to pass the time. As she studied the way Mr. Denny amused even Lydia's silliest ideas, Ruth Bennet relented on one truth – Mr. Denny lusted after her daughter. " Mr. Bennet, you must do something. Lydia must marry Mr. Denny," She intruded on the bookroom. Mr. Collins stayed in his bedchamber for the time being, a fortunate event considering what she demanded now.

" Why is that, Mrs. Bennet?" He currently read narrative poems written by Elizabeth Cobbold along with another book penned by her, The Mince Pie, a Heroic Epistle. " She is quite happy as she is,"

" Once she is married, Mr. Bennet-"

" Where do you intend to her to stay? With the other officer's wives?" Mr. Bennet asked with some hope.

Mrs. Bennet crossed her arms. " You delight in vexing me. Naturally she will stay here until the regiment leaves," How dare he take her daughter from her! No one would take her Lydia from her without her permission.

At this Mr. Bennet could not tolerate any more, not that he could tolerate his wife in periods longer than a half hour and less than that whenever she was in a mood. " Very well, I will speak with the young man and discover his intentions. Send him in,"

" Now? But Lydia is showing him – "

" Mrs. Bennet, show Mr. Denny in now or else I will banish him from Longbourne permanently," While Mr. Bennet never intended to enforce it, Mrs. Bennet fully believed him capable of it. She scurried off to fetch Mr. Denny. The moment Mr. Denny, a disreputable but charming young man who enjoyed life to the fullest, entered in full swagger. Mr. Bennet offered the young man the empty chair across from him.

He took it. Outside the closed door, Lydia hovered with her mother waiting for the inevitable granted permission. She was never denied anything, and now that she wanted something very much, she would tear the house apart till Mr. Elias Bennet granted it.

Elias knew his daughter too well, as her mother was her example. She most likely pressed her ear to the door now. " My daughter has held your attention for these past weeks. Do you intend to offer to her?"

" I would offer were she afforded a dowry, sir," The young man answered reasonably enough. " Her 1,000 pounds on her mother's passing will not seduce me when I earn so little –"

" Then why do you visit so often, if not to break her heart?" Elias was many things, and as a father, he wished his daughters well. Lydia, however, tried his nerves. A heartbreak might do her some good.

Now Mr. Denny cleared his throat, quite able to detect when truth needed stated. " She is a most amusing company, sir, and why would I wish to marry a compromised lady? Surely you know? Mr. Sanders has already bedded her," He showed no signs of deception, and thus Mr. Bennet had to accept it as truth.

Mr. Bennet did not know how to react, although words escaped him entirely and no amount of wit or sarcasm could rescue the father of five. He felt the age creep back into his bones regretting marrying his wife more now than ever. The uncomfortable silence afforded no relief for either man.

" I would marry her, sir, were a dowry of at least 5,000 placed on her," Mr. Denny finally said in full seriousness. " Mr. Sanders will never admit to it, but what officer would?"

Lydia pulled away from the door, pale – Mrs. Bennet back away from her favorite child in horror. " Hill! Hill! Where are my salts?" Mr. Collins walked down the steps now and took his seat in the breakfast parlor with Mary, to listen to it unfold in curious disgust that pulled him further in to the Bennet trap.

" If I secure the 5,000 pounds, I have your word you will marry Lydia?" Mr. Bennet demanded.

Mr. Denny barely contained his own joy at outsmarting the elder man. " I would, sir,"

As soon as Mr. Mark Denny departed Longbourn Elias Bennet called Lydia into the bookroom. " Miss Lydia Bennet, from this moment on, you are never to set foot out of this house. Under no reason will you leave unless you marry Mr. Denny. Once you marry Mr. Denny, you will never return here," Tears overtook Mrs. Bennet as Jane, Mary, and Kitty wondered what Lydia possibly did to deserve such severe treatment. Kitty almost asked until Jane grabbed her hand and shook her head.

" Pray you are not with child,"

An uncomfortable stillness fell over the ladies as they now understood the shame that would descend on them all.

Everyone except Lydia." But Papa why should I? It is only natural for a love as ours – "

Mrs. Bennet sunk into a chair and covered her face with her hands, sobs embarrassing even the mild mannered Jane. " Lydia, you have ruined our family now. Do you not understand what you've done?" Jane nearly yelled, close to tears herself. Good bye, Mr. Bingley.

" Yes, I did. I forced father's hand. Now he must accept an officer," The smugness slapped off her visage by the hand of her father, Lydia fell back a step into the wall. Mr. Bennet raised his hand again, faltering as the redness formed his hand on her cheek. Shame attacked him. He never struck a woman before, and the first strike to be against his daughter shattered any resemblance of respectability.

Sinking into his chair, Mr. Bennet motioned them all out. Only Mrs. Bennet remained, and she wallowed in self-pity. Jane helped Lydia to her bedchamber. Kitty and Mary traded weary glances knowing this to occur days before the ball at Netherfield, it ruined their amusement and freedom. Stupid, stupid Lydia! Jane and Kitty resigned to the drawing room to take tea. " I hope she's happy, for she's earned her place in disgrace," Kitty whispered hoarsely. " Now neither of us will marry well,"

" At least Lizzy is married,"

" Lizzy never only thinks of herself," Kitty joined Jane's belief that their second eldest sister would never abandon them to the hedgerows, no matter the beliefs of the Rowleys or her husband. If anything, Lizzy was stubborn and did not alter her beliefs simply because someone disapproved.

Jane rose to her feet and walked about the room in search of ink, paper, and pen to warn Lizzy. In the breakfast parlor, Mary never took her eyes off of Mr. Collins. What a pity it would be for Lydia to married to someone like him – a 'godly' parson. While she certainly acknowledged he was a parson, there was nothing godly about him. Lydia needed someone who acted with more propriety, and he would be the perfect man to force it on the silly, silly girl. " Miss Bennet, am I mistaken, or had I just heard Lydia is compromised? It would be of no dishonor to me to preserve it, for it would certainly heal the breach-"

He thought the same way as she did. Mary exhaled in relief. While the idea of Lydia inheriting Longbourn as its mistress put the promise of more ridiculousness in the far future, Mr. Collin's grounded personality might change Lydia for the better.

" If you wish to speak to Papa about offering for her, he is in the bookroom," She clutched her favorite book of Fordyce's sermons close to her chest.

Without a word, Mr. Collins assaulted Mr. and Mrs. Bennet with the impromptu heroics. He did not demand 5,000 pounds, and thus Lydia's fate was sealed. Mrs. Bennet fled the bookroom again and Mr. Bennet invited Mr. Collins to stay as long as necessary. Miss Lydia Bennet would not be Mrs. Mark Denny but Mrs. William Collins.


	5. Chapter 5

Mr. Collins claimed Lydia for three dances at Netherfield, and Jane almost pitied Lydia. Mrs. Ruth Bennet was beside herself in true grief and Kitty worshipped the ground Mary walked on for her role in it. Mary slid back into insignificance, more than happy to be rid of the officer crazed loon.

Elizabeth, who had been visited by Emmeline and Priscilla Bingley at Rowley house, already expected Lydia to be avoiding her betrothed at the Netherfield Ball. Aside from Jane's forewarning, the Bingley sisters reported that they all visited Longbourn and learned of the betrothal. It had amused the older sisters incredibly, and after poorly concealed jabs at Lydia, they departed Longbourn under the excuse of needing to write an acquaintance who had wrote to them a week before. Emmeline expressed hope that Mr. Collins could find happiness with Lydia and Lydia could become a more respectable woman. Priscilla spent only a half hour with Marina before sharing with Elizabeth that of all the ladies in Hertfordshire, Marina Rowley reminded her of Caroline the most. When Elizabeth asked why, Priscilla did not provide a satisfactory answer.

So when Netherfield Ball arrived, Silas promised Elizabeth three dances at least. Upon arrival, Emmeline and Priscilla spirited away Elizabeth and Marina while Mrs. Rowley joined Mrs. Hurst, Lady Lucas, Mrs. Long, and Mrs. Bennet. Mrs. Wilder, Mrs. Boulanger, and Miss Charlotte Lucas gathered off to the side nearest the gentlemen and performing ladies. Marina kept an eye on Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy as he paced the ballroom avoiding Caroline Bingley and many other young ladies and their mothers. He danced with Emmeline and Priscilla once, Mr. Collin's hovering near Lydia embarrassing her for two whole dances before she refused a third dance with him and consequently all dancing after that could not respectably be had for her.

Mr. Darcy's affronted behavior at Elizabeth's wit only added to her amusement. His off comment more directed to keep Caroline Bingley at a distance offered her at least a half hour's musings. " Mr. Darcy enough of your dodging. You must dance, no matter how barbaric and confining our society is. I am going to claim my husband for a dance," She snagged her husband from Charles and Jane.

" Mr. Darcy, how ill of Mrs. Rowley to leave you without guard," Marina only thought of the 10,000 per annum, barely acknowledging the similarities between her and Caroline Bingley. " How do you find Hertfordshire? We do try to amuse ourselves when our estates do not call us away,"

Compared to Miss Bingley, Miss Rowley presented a much more pleasant alternative. " Would you care to dance, Miss Marina?" She accepted his hand and joined Silas and Elizabeth on the line with Charles and Jane. Kitty joined them with Mr. Long, all smugness and exhausted energy. Lydia snapped at Mr. Collins and outright told him no before stomping off to join her mother. The ladies did not scare away Mr. Collins, further humiliating Lydia as he went on about Lady Catherine de Bourg, Rosings Park, Hunsford, and his good place in life. More couples joined the line as the music started up. Eventually Lydia fled to the Harrington sisters, Penn and Harriet, and Mr. Collins had been snagged by Sir William granting the young lady temporary freedom.

Mrs. Bennet spoke quite forlornly of Lydia's engagement to the ladies. " Poor poor Lydia, but it must soothe me to have her as the next mistress of Longbourn. Lydia was always high spirited, but now she has accepted Mr. Collins-"

" She doesn't look very happy," Mrs. Long noted the moping of Lydia as she remained seated and slouched off to the side on the opposite side of the ballroom while half-heartedly talking to her friends. " I wonder what she did wrong to be forced into it,"

Mrs. Bennet could not properly answer at first. " You are familiar with Lady de Bourg, Mrs. Wilder. Will she like Lydia?" Desperate for a different topic and unable to take her mind off of Lydia being bedded by the odious Mr. Collins, she found little solace in speaking of Lady Catherine de Bourg.

" No. The lady prefers dull and quiet ladies," Mrs. Anne Wilder once neighbored Rosings Park, as she was a Flint, close cousins to the Wilders. Anne married Gideon Wilder, the current owner of the Wilder estates, after his elder brother passed away after falling from a horse. Mr. Wilder's sister, Clara, was well loved by all of Hertfordshire and currently made her rounds through the ballroom with dancing partners. " Which your daughter is not. She will enjoy a profitable living in Hunsford for a time, as long as she acts the proper wife,"

The thought of losing Lydia nearly put her into tears again, and so Mrs. Ruth Bennet dabbed away the tears with her hand cloth. " Mrs. Rowley, am I mistaken or has your son encouraged Mr. Bingley's attentions towards my Jane?"

" He has," Hannah answered just as amiably as Mrs. Wilder. Unlike Anne, Hannah Rowley actually felt a sense of responsibility for Jane Bennet's future. After seeing Elizabeth so happily situated with Silas, she wanted to see Jane comfortably settled as well. " Jane is so very much pleased with Mr. Bingley, though she should express herself more rather than less. When she visited, I nor Eliza could hold her attention at all, and only talk of Mr. Bingley, his sisters, and Netherfield intrigued her,"

" I wish her happy and do not believe it a bad match at all," Mrs. Long seconded the general sentiment among the ladies. " My son has taken a liking to Kitty after all. I am pleased to see him finally considering the prospect of marriage," Mrs. Bennet saw no particular liking on Elijah Long's part, but she nodded along, grateful that Hertfordshire supported her daughters.

" Aye, Mrs. Long, if only I could convince Mary to take an interest in it as well. For it was her who would be best suited to be Mr. Collins wife, but he took an interest in my Lydia…." Mrs. Bennet wished that her husband bothered to ask Edward Gardiner for part of the 5,000 pounds, and Judith's husband as well instead of relenting to Mr. Collin's with no proper consideration of the imprudent match.

The ladies talked of Mr. Darcy for another ten to fifteen minutes before Mr. Matthew Long claimed his wife for the next dance and Mr. Bennet joined Mr. Hurst in the drink. Mr. Darcy's continued preference for Marina pleased the Rowleys, and Caroline attempted to drive Mr. Darcy off by pointing out the distant connection to the Bennets. " A most disreputable family to be related to, sir,"

Fresh off a dance, Miss Rowley sought out a cup of punch. Miss Bingley joined him, forcing him back into being excessively uncomfortable. " Miss Marina is not disreputable nor are the Rowleys, and it is Elizabeth Rowley nee Bennet. She has always been considered with great respect, Miss Bingley," He was a proud man, and he had the good reason to be proud. 10,000 per annum permitted it, however he saw no reason to object to Elizabeth. He admired Silas's choice in a wife, as she suited the young man well. Her wit occasionally cut his pride, but he liked the refreshing countering opinion.

" I speak of Mrs. Rowley's family, sir, the Bennets. Have you heard yet that Miss Lydia Bennet is to marry Mr. Collins, but only because they feared her compromised by an officer? If I were Mr. Collins, I would flee before it affected my reputation,"

" It is admirable that he would wish to defend his cousin's reputation, Miss Bingley," Although Fitzwilliam held no fondness for officers and the military in general, his cousin Richard Fitzwilliam was a well respected officer and to be wed to the lovely and highly amiable Miss Clara Wilder. " As a parson, it is expected of him to look after his flock,"

To this, Caroline had no response, and Marina returned with drinks for herself and Mr. Darcy. She greeted Caroline with ready questions about her health and general well being. After learning of how little Caroline could be amused by her own sisters, Marina then spoke of life with a new sister.

" She is an interesting lady to be certain," Mr. Darcy feigned limited interest. " Silas paid for a tutor to teach her latin, though I know not why. Father insisted she learn how to ride so she is not confined to the house so often, and I am eager for her to learn. It is safer than walking,"

" Horseback is safer? How so?" Darcy asked while Caroline struggled to think well of the Bennets, including the one who made Darcy smile earlier.

Marina easily carried the charm despite her hatred of the Bennets. " It is faster, and it is less prone to violent criminals. A lady can escape faster on horseback than foot," Caroline started to understand Marina before Marina suspected Caroline caught on.

" Hertfordshire is free of crime," Mr. Darcy insisted now suspicious of their tactic to hold him near.

" Not entirely. Theft is a problem, and six years back there was a string of murders. The man was never caught," Marina Rowley revealed, more to the benefit of removing Caroline from her company than worrying Mr. Darcy.

Darcy's attentions dutifully turned to Miss Clara now. " Is my cousin's betrothed safer then?"

" Miss Wilder is the darling of Hertfordshire," Marina declared lovingly. " Everyone loves her and if they do not, they should. She plays beautifully on the pianoforte and when she exhibits and her needlepoint quilts are exceedingly portrait-like. I could see why the Colonel took an interest when he did,"

Marina now caught on to Caroline as Miss Bingley furiously stayed near while never contributing to the conversation. The woman offered no competition by her vulgarity of dress and rudeness of manners. " And 25,000 pounds. Quite the temptation. My brother wished to offer after school but as he did not inherit yet, he wished to offer more. To think he missed her hand because of an education. Very grieving,"

" A man who can further his education is just as valuable, Miss Marina," Darcy held a new appreciation for the young man. " Miss Clara suits Richard well just as Mrs. Rowley suits your brother,"

Caroline tried to contain her growing interest. " And what lady suits you, Mr. Darcy? A country lady or perhaps a lady of the ton?"

" It is of no interest to me, Mr. Darcy, but for Miss Caroline's sake, we can agree it is not Miss Wilder or Mrs. Rowley," Marina itched to know too but she wasn't so forward or obvious. Such manners only existed for men.

Darcy offered once more to Marina thus escaping Miss Bingley for nearly an hour. Caroline found herself observing Miss Lydia Bennet talk harshly of Mr. Colins to the Harrington sisters. Most certainly not a mutually agreed upon union and yet she did not refuse the marriage. How very curious. " Miss Bennet, I am to congrulate you on your union to Mr. Collins," She approached the girl, wishing to vex someone if she could not dance.

All color drained from Lydia's face. " Thank you, Miss Bingley. Why are you not dancing?"

" I find dancing to be very exhausting at the moment. And I had wanted to wish you well, especially given your previous interest in officers. To marry a parson is quite the respectable change," She seated herself next to Penelope Harrington, the older of the sisters.

The pointed ignorance of the sisters forced Harriet to address Miss Bingley first. " Yes, but were he a better parson of respectable character would be better. So very ridiculous, Mr. Collins, that for Lydia to marry him is a travesty,"

" They why marry him at all?" Caroline asked Harriet as Penelope put her arm around Lydia.

Harriet's answer left no doubt as to her feelings on the subject of Mr. Collins. " He will make 1,000 per annum, a very valuable living, Miss Bingley. Why should such an opportunity be passed up when Longbourn is entailed to him? From 1,000 to 2,000 per annum, possibly 3,000 if the land were better cared for,"

Lydia Bennet recovered enough to take up her defense. " Miss Bingley, for someone who clings to Mr. Darcy like a leech, you have no right to disapprove. You only seek his 10,000 per annum," She wiped away the tears.

" I do not,"

" La! I am not so stupid as you believe. Even now you wish him miles away from Miss Marina. He does not even like you, and yet you push yourself at him,"

Penelope and Harriet helped Lydia to her feet. " Have a good evening, Miss Bingley," Penelope excused herself then as they relocated closer to Maria Lucas.

Caroline tracked down Louisa among the mother hens. " Mr. Hurst has not asked you to dance?"

" He is enjoying Mr. Boulanger's company, Caroline. You do not appear happy. What saddens you?" As always Mr. Hurst neglected her at balls, but when Caroline was not around, he sobered up considerably. So why did Caroline gravitate to her only?

" Nothing of note. I pray we are to go to town soon," She watched Charles and Jane Bennet converse among the other resting individuals, flushed and enjoying a drink.

Louisa nodded. " We are. But Charles will not. Emmeline and Priscilla are staying behind. Apparently they can not do without Hertfordshire,"

" Then they can stay while we stay in town. It is no loss to us,"

" Mr. Hurst wishes to return to his townhouse where I will stay. I asked for your company, and he obliged," Being alone in London did not suit her, and neither Emmeline or Priscilla would be able to survive the ton.

Caroline watched Mr. Hurst fall asleep in a corner. " Why did you marry him? He only earns 3,000 a year off the collective investments. You could have chosen better," She whispered even more so now that the mother hens noted her additional presence.

Louisa ignored Caroline's griping and listened to the mothers and Miss Lucas speak of the couples with complete absorption. Mr. Long did favor Miss Catherine Bennet but only when Miss Maria Lucas danced with another. Mr. Crown and Mr. Miller wished to dance with the Harrington sisters, whose dowries consisted of 15,000 a piece, but Miss Lydia Bennet captured their sympathies. Silas Rowley devoted half the ball to his wife, Elizabeth, while his companions sought out intelligent conversation elsewhere. The Robinsons sisters, Lavinia and Leah, associatied with everyone except the poorest families in attendance. The Millers heir and his wife occupied the dance floor every dance wihle the second born Mr. Miller favored the sides and conversation with Mary Bennet and the newly out Miss Crown. The youngest Mr. Miller understood his ranking compared to everyone else and accepted it.

It was the youngest Mr. Miller who asked Caroline to dance, and since she wished to still dance with Mr. Darcy, she said yes.

As the night closed out, Emmeline and Priscilla reminded Charles of his promise to stay in Hertfordshire until the end of the lease. Mrs. Bennet held off the carriage as long as possible, and Marina Rowley would've done the same if her mother allowed it. " I hope you enjoyed yourself, Miss Jane. Were you not at my side, I would have been forced to listen to Darcy telling me how to choose my dance partners,"

" What a relief to have avoided it," Jane said, clutching his arm. " You were a wonderful dance partner, and it pleases me to hear you'll stay in Hertfordshire instead of escape to town,"

" Escape what – your company? I would never abandon it," His words relieved Jane, forced her mother's joys to overcome her grief with losing Lydia. Undoubtedly Mrs. Bennet would go on and on about an unexpected betrothal that may never be forthcoming.

Jane dreaded it. Without Lizzy to make sport of their mother, Kitty often overridden, and Mary outright forgotten, no one save Lydia would draw their mother's attentions.

" Thank you, sir. It pains me to think you so far from Hertfordshire, though Mr. Darcy only means to be a good friend. He is a wise man,"

" You think so?" Mr. Darcy lingered nearby, casually regarding Mr. Hurst and listening to Charles fawn over his angel. " He does desire me to buy Netherfield Park, as does Caroline and Louisa,"

" But Caroline and Louisa do not have your interests at heart, as Mr. Darcy does," Jane understood well enough what a fine house granted a lady, and her mother made it plain what Netherfield would grant Jane if Mr. Bingley married her. So did Caroline and Louisa.

He glanced over at his unsocial sisters, while Emmeline and Priscilla continued to converse with Kitty, Lydia, and Mary. " I'm sure you're wrong-"

" Charles, they only wish a handsome home to live in. You must think of you," Jane sighed and took Kitty's hand as Mr. Bennet called them all to the carriage. " Our carriage is here, but do think on Mr. Darcy's advice. It is wise council,"

Mr. Darcy took Jane's place as the family entered the carriage one after another. " I was wrong, Bingley. She does have a mind behind the smile. Still a dowry is important, not that you lack the funds to provide one for future daughters,"

It didn't immediately settle on Charles as they waved after the departing carriage. Darcy granted approval. Priscilla turned to Emmeline, both exhausted by the ball, and started to dance with her. " Charles is going to ask Jane to marry him. I can just sense it!" Caroline and Louisa dully watched them, not having the privilege of overhearing Charles.


	6. Chapter 6

Longbourn woke late except Jane. She barely slept and desired Mr. Bingley – so much so that she discovered Mr. Denny waiting for Lydia outside the bookroom window. She sometimes sleep walked, and because of this habit, she caught the couple kissing most passionately. Before she knew what she was doing, anger overwhelming sleepwalking confusion, Jane Bennet exited the house with Sarah behind her.

" Lydia Bennet, you will not run off to Gretna Green!" Jane yelled, shocking Sarah who hung back to see how it would play out. " You will not ruin the rest of us for him," She pointed at the poor Mr. Denny, who tried to play off the blame on Lydia. Blinded by rage and fear, the once tranquil lady refused to be fooled any longer.

Mark Denny steadfastly held Lydia's hands. " Miss Bennet,"

" Do not 'Miss Bennet' me, Mr. Denny. I am in mood to tolerate my sister's wayward behavior," Lydia winced away from the hateful glare. " Leave here now or else I will have Colonel Forster know of your behavior,"

Lydia began to tear up. " Why are you doing this to me?" She clung to Mr. Denny even as Mr. Denny attempted to detach himself from the impressionable and unreserved young lady. " I do not want to marry that fat, odious meatbag!"

Seeing as he had no choice, Mr. Denny bowed and quickly walked the lane to the tree where he tied up his horse. Galloping soon landed on their ears, leaving Lydia to the wrath of Jane. No longer barely awake, she wanted to hit Lydia repeatedly. The shame of such violence of emotions hit her as much as the anger ruled her. Dressed only in her gown with her hair braided down her back, her chest heaved up and down as she stared down Lydia.

Lydia lunged at Jane but Jane smacked her hard across the cheek and grabbed her wrist. " That fat, odious meatbag will be your husband soon, and you would do well to remember that," Jane hissed as she dragged Lydia back into the house. Sarah dutifully followed, grateful to not be on the end of the wrath Jane Bennet.

Their consequential shouting woke the household.

" You can not make me-" Lydia's loud voice initiated the meltdown.

" I am not Mama, and you will obey."

Sarah hovered at the door to the breakfast parlor, alarmed yet relieved that the youngest did not lead the rest to ruin. " We still have a chance for a respectable marriage and you will not take that from us,"

" I do not care how you conduct yourself –"

By this point Kitty and Mary joined Sarah.

" -once you are married but you will not taint Longbourn more than you already have,"

Lydia threw the pillows at Jane, breaking a vase on the fireplace mantle. Flowers and water hit the floor. " Mr. Bingley will never propose to you – you have no dowry. A poor, no consequence country lady with only beauty to recommend you,"

Mr. Bennet rapped his cane against the wall now before his girls woke up Mr. Collins. " Go to your room," He ordered Lydia. Jane collapsed onto a settee, sobs soon swelling her throat as she fought off hysterics.

Mary rushed to her side as Kitty stepped aside to not be run over by an enraged Lydia bent on destruction of herself. Mrs. Bennet made her way down the steps as Lydia run up them. " There, there. You saved our reputations,"

" But who will save ours? With our mother ruining us all not even your Mr. Miller will want you, Kitty. The hedgerows? The hedgerows are far kinder than that deception of a mother!"

Mr. Bennet traded glances with an ashen faced Mrs. Bennet. Kitty smoothed back Jane's not yet brushed hair.

" If only Lizzy were here, she could comfort you," Kitty whispered, not daring to look up as Sarah warded off any others. Mrs. Hill already dispatched to Mr. Collins that everyone will be well – simply sibling rivalry taking place.

Quietly the parentals retired to the bookroom where they sat for some time in silence. Eventually Jane returned to her shared bedchamber with Mary, Sarah dutifully following them to dress Jane's hair. Kitty and Mary took turns watching over Lydia so that she did not run again. At the dining table and afterwards no conversation passed between anyone, not even the sporting Mr. Bennet.

Mr. Collins already visited Parson Brook, and the two parson understood the danger Lydia Bennet presented. At the dining table and afterwards he read from Fordyce sermons until the family retired. The following week crippled Mrs. Ruth Bennet. Her three daughters still single visited daily with the Bingley sisters. Elizabeth, who took to Emmeline and Priscilla regularly, soon learned of the humiliating behavior of Lydia in private away from the Bingley sisters. Marina sometimes visited with Elizabeth too, using that time wisely to work her charms on Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Lydia received lessons on manners and propriety from a hired companion. Mrs. Bennet absorbed the full impact of Jane's words with no shield. Mr. Bennet provided no sporting to banish the blame.

A letter of condemnation from Elizabeth to Lydia followed up by a personal visit with the Mrs. Rowleys. Lizzy allowed Hannah to first speak of Marina's attachment to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mrs Bennet offering vague replies that did little to encourage closeness. Lydia's quiet, standoffish behavior received disapproval and Lizzy's gentle prodding evoked tears. " She is unwell," Mrs. Bennet explained simply.

" Lydia would you care to walk-"

" No,"

" Are you certain?"

" Yes,"

" Lydia, I know Mr. Collins wasn't your first choice, but he is respectable," Lizzy pleaded with Lydia to act less offensively. " And after the history of your character, can you honestly believe yourself worthy of a gentleman?"

Mrs. Bennet looked on. Mrs. Hannah Rowley involved the sensitive topic. " You did allow yourself to be bedded, and you tried to run off with an officer, thus permanently disgracing your family. What do you believe Mr. Collins will do if he ever learns of it?" Where Mrs. Bennet was lenient and liberal, Mrs. Rowley practiced restraint and sense. She never needed to raise her voice as she believed in very creative punishment.

Lydia continued to stare out the window. " I am only marrying him because I will not have a home otherwise. Nothing you say or do will change how I feel," Mrs. Bennet ordered tea for the ladies. " Where do the traitorous sisters gone to now?"

Lizzy adjusted her shawl. " They are visiting Aunt Phillips. Uncle Phillips has purchased a license so that you will be gone from Longbourn sooner than the banns permit," She couldn't believe that Lydia actually tried to run off after her engagement to Mr. Collins had been announced to all of Hertfordshire. She was glad Jane smacked Lydia, the stupid foolish girl deserved it.

Yet she showed now no remorse. " I do not care,"

" You will care when you are your husband's property. He can beat you into submission or do as he pleases," Mrs. Bennet said finally breaking Lydia out of depression and giving Hannah the slight impression that she did care about what happened to the family. " The marriage bed is his right. Do not be a fool, child, no officer will save you now,"

Hannah traded weary glances with Lizzy. " As Marina is going into town for the winter, we will gladly welcome Kitty into our home,"

Bitterness colored Ruth Bennet's view of her second eldest. Some time ago, she might have welcomed the offer. Now it came across as an insult. " You will? How charitable-"

" It is not an act of charity, Mama, but necessity. Kitty needs a voice of structure and reason, and while Jane can provide much, I fear not even the blindly in love Mr. Bingley will invite shame into his home if Kitty follows Lydia,"

" I am not a disease," Lydia looked right at Elizabeth now. She wanted to say more but words failed her.

Hannah walked the room window to window while her daughter-in-law stood across from her mother and diagonal to her sister. " No, but you are a bad influence," Hannah announced in all severity Lydia wholeheartedly earned through her disgraceful actions. " A bad influence that almost cost your sister a proper marriage,"

" You are not my mother,"

" I am better than your mother, a gentleman's daughter instead of only his wife. My daughter has never acted anywhere near as badly as you. And now you insult your own mother by refusing to honor the family," While she lacked the connections desired by many, her dowry of 20,000 pounds earned her rank quickly. Ruth Bennet nee Gardiner was the daughter of a tradesmen and her dowry of 5,000 pounds didn't even compare to Hannah Rowley nee Abbot. Elizabeth never believed for a moment that Mrs. Bennet would change or even take the criticism Mrs. Rowley presented and better herself with it. Lydia was even worse, completely ignoring the elder Mrs. Rowley.

" I am not dishonoring my mother. She dishonors me by binding me to an ungodly-"

" This is not about you, Lydia, but the entire family," Elizabeth could not handle it anymore. She needed to leave before she assaulted Lydia too. " And if you, for a moment, looked past yourself you'd see the damage you caused." Lizzy put herself directly in front of Lydia once more. " Months ago you laughed when Mama said I had to marry second to Jane without regard to the honor marriage is. You mocked Kitty and Mary because Mama favored you and Jane. Now you must take the weight of your stupidity and wear it well,"

Ruth Bennet stood, not permitting herself to suffer the well deserved verbal spanking. " If you will excuse me, Hill is packing the wedding clothes and I want to assist her-"

" Mama!" Lydia made to follow.

" Not now, child. You've done enough," Mrs. Bennet exited the drawing room.

Hannah and Elizabeth made to leave as well. " I pray for you – and I pray that Mr. Collins treats you well, but you must treat him well too, Lydia. Good bye," The Mrs. Rowleys departed Longbourn failing to secure Kitty.

But not without a second plan already in action. Mr. Bingley met Mr. Phillips, Mr. Silas Rowley, and Mr. Bennet in Meryton – Mr. Bennet leaving to give the license to Mr. Collins. Silas already asked Mr. Bennet for Kitty to spend the winter with Elizabeth. Mr. Bennet and Mr. Phillips already paid for Lydia's wedding clothes, so when she left Longbourn, no debts would remain.

Upon Mr. Bingley's return to Netherfield, he summoned up the courage to go to Longbourn and propose. As he bathed, dressed, and put himself together with the help of his manservant, he recited what he intended to say. " Sir, I do not see how the lady can refuse you as you are dressed. She must be especially important,"

" She is, Mr. Heath. I pray she says yes," Charles checked his appearance one last time.

" Good luck, sir,"

Mr. Bingley rode to Longbourn a mess of nerves and discovered upon his arrival Mary and Kitty played the pianoforte as Jane quietly read in the corner. Mr. Bennet granted them privacy in the bookroom, Mary and Kitty hovering near the door.

Charles allowed to sit. " I rode as fast as I could. Darcy said you were a perfect match to me, and I could not agree more with him. From the moment I saw you, I wanted you as my wife. Would you do me the honor?"

" Sir, you do me the great honor," Jane barely blinked. " I fear you have always held my heart, but you know Mama. One hint of my preference for you and all of Hertfordshire would have mocked me. If you will have me, I will give myself to you heart, body, and mind,"

Charles stopped pacing. Jane held out her hand to him. With perfect ease he pulled her to him and kissed her with a burning hunger. " I can not tell you how blessed I am. Truly, and we will have to suffer the three weeks, but soon – soon you will be mistress of Netherfield," The thought of being a part of long as they were tormented him. Jane prayed no one ruined this for her.

Mr. Bennet's knocking on the door broke the spell over them. " Jane, your mother wishes to see you. Sir, I trust you have the answer?" Charles nodded. " Excellent. Feel free to dine with us-"

" I must go, Mr. Bennet, but I give you my word that I will dine. With the family. Thank you once more," He bowed and rushed for the entrance.

Kitty pounced on Jane the moment she entered the drawing room. " Did he offer?"

" Of course he offered," Mary declared. " Why else would they meet in private?"

Mrs. Bennet picked up her needlepoint. " I am happy for you, Jane. At least you will be saved," The jab hit and bounced off Jane's indifference.

Mary played a concerto while Kitty envied her for having Emmeline and Priscilla as sisters. Mr. Collins, when he rejoined them, commented about the offer and acceptance Mr. Bingley made to Jane. Lydia tried to be nice to Mr. Collins and found herself more than ever afraid and disgusted. Mrs. Bennet shared the same sentiment as Lydia, while Mr. Bennet turned to Kitty and Mary. " It is your turn to marry now, and I hope to be as proud of your choices as I am Lydia's," The jest marked his lack of respect for Mr. Collins though Mr. Collins took it as high praise.

Lydia left the dining table immediately claiming headache. Mr. Collins expressed the sincerest of desires to aid her but sadly he was not an apothecary.

Scene Break

As Caroline Bingley penned the letter to Jane Bennet, most carefully choosing what to say to most delicately and artfully destroy. " ….to enjoy many returns of that delightful intercourse we have known…many of my acquaintances are already there for the winter, as is Miss Clara Wilder…wish that I could hear that you had any intention of making the crowd…your feeling the loss of whom we shall deprive you when Charles is called to town…."

Louisa hovered over her shoulder. " Do you suppose Charles really will come to town if we told him we needed him to aid Mr. Hurst?" They saw no particularly stressing event that he needed called away from Netherfield.

" With the temptation of Miss Bennet? No. It would need to be more substantial,"

" What of Mr. Hurst and I expecting-"

" Are you?" Caroline abruptly lifted the pen from the paper. " Why did you not say? This is excellent news. We must tell our aunt about it, and of course the cousins," Already she put aside more hot pressed sheets eager to relay good news to their closest cousins.

Louisa doubted that Charles would rush to her side. She married Mr. Hurst and Mr. Hurst was responsible for her. Caroline's hope to destroy Jane Bennet might only prevail if the devil himself touched Jane Bennet. " Give Thomas my best. I heard he is marrying his fourth wife as the other three died in childbirth. What an unfortunate soul…" Louisa did not hover near her sister as penned a series of long letters filled with flowing speech more befit a sermon to hold people in church on Sundays.

By the time she finished her letters, Mr. Hurst and Mr. Jones returned from dining with fellow investors. Louisa and Caroline talked of much except Mr. Darcy and Charles, and finally Mr. Jones asked about Hertfordshire. " It is a lively society," Lousia surprised Caroline by her favorable review. " Though confining as all country societies are. Miss Wilder, Miss Crown, Miss Harringtons, and Miss Rowley are of the only ladies worth pursuing 25,000, 18,000, 15,000 a piece, and 20,000 if I recollect accurately,"

Mr. Hurst cleared his throat. " Amazing how the ladies carry impressive dowries yet the families have so little fortunes," He never understood why the landowners did not invest their excess wealth just in case of bad weather.

" Not amazing. Our own father granted us 20,000 a piece, which is why Charles only inherited 100,000," Caroline wondered who Emmeline and Priscilla would marry. Certainly no one in Hertfordshire deserved the 20,000 as they had no wealth of worth. But as she thought on it, however the Crowns and Gouldings each could be a good match if the eldest boy took an interest in Emmeline and Priscilla. " …and we are so pleased to hear you that are going to marry the dowager Lady de Bourg. After so long-"

Caroline turned all her attention to Mr. Jones. " Sir, pardon me, but Lady Catherine de Bourg is Mr. Darcy's aunt, yes? She's willing to marry now – what could possibly change her mind?"

Mr. Jones earned 12,000 per annum as a barrister. As a health man of four and thirty, he succeeded in gaining the support of the titled when he argued a case against the hangman's noose for an Earl who strangled his adulterous wife and then killed his mistress. He would've killed himself but the poison wasn't strong enough. He didn't die by hangman's noose but firing squad. From then on Mr. Albert Jones gained business and never once did he experience a slow year.

" My 12,000 per annum," He answered her honestly. " Next to my connections, 12,000 per annum is excessively respectable,"

Caroline nodded along already forming a design on the man. "Might I off you advice, sir?"

"Lady de Bourg does not give control to anyone," Louisa and Mr. Hurst started to converse among themselves. " You'd be better off marrying someone more willing to give you complete control and respect,"

He just offered his hand to her. " Miss Caroline, your 20,000 would make me a rich man, if I were able to afford you,"

" What do you mean, sir?" She did not know how she could outspend what 12,000 per annum offered.

" I mean, Miss Bingley, that unless you could birth me a child, run my home in town, and be more warm in character, I have better use of Lady de Bourg,"

Louise and Felton Hurst both excused themselves, leaving Caroline to exercise her charms on an equally aware opponent.


	7. Chapter 7

Whatever hopes Caroline held for Charles returning to London, burned like the Great Fire of 1666 when she learned he would wed Jane Bennet in Hertfordshire and the travel with Jane to an estate he already purchased in Derbyshire on the word of another former schoolmate. Her short time with Mr. Jones inspired the blasphemous idea that she should befriend Jane and put that friendship on display. Her next letter to Jane contained high praise, the fondest wish to visit Jane once she settled at the new estate, and a neverending wish to better know the Bennets. The natural goodness of Jane assured Caroline a positive reply would follow. When no reply reached her, she started to concoct another plan on how to be 'more warm' without actually being more warm toward others.

Fears put to ease soon enough when the responsive letter arrived late because the mail coach suffered a broken wheel. It held the answer to her future marriage to 12,000 a year. " Louisa, Charles is marrying Jane Bennet after all,"

In the middle of sewing a baby sack, Louisa cocked a brow. " You sound pleased about this," It went completely against her sister's character, and never one to be coy with Louisa, Caroline baffled her sister.

" When did he purchase the estate in Derbyshire?" She changed the subject instead. " And to not say a word to us. How very sly of him,"

" He is having it renovated, Caroline. Apparently the attic is drafty and the basement damp. A wing requires roof repair and he is purchasing furnishings for the entire home,"

" He did not say how it is being furnished, and should have consulted us,"

" He would have done so, Caroline, were he not otherwise distracted. You must remember he will be married soon and he is welcoming his wife into the home. Telling us is not very high priority,"

Caroline seated herself next to Louisa. " I did hear of a very near certainty before we left," She lowered her voice, all seriousness. " That Miss Mary Bennet was being courted by Mr. Lucas. Mr. Lucas is only a tender twenty years of age and has yet to return from university. I wish her well in that match, if it is true,"

Nodding along to this odd replacement to her usually sharp third born sister, Louisa continued to make baby clothes from sturdier cloth than muslin. " It is an equal match, I believe,"

" Not only an equal match, but Miss Charlotte and Miss Mary tolerate each other rather well,"

" Unlike Miss Kitty, and I'd wager that Mr. Miller will offer to her, although it will be one of those long engagements. And Charles should really attempt to entertain once he's settled in Derbyshire. A proper ball to introduce himself,"

Louisa finally cleared her throat. " This change in character has nothing to do with Mr. Jones, does it? I understand 12,000 per annum quite the inducement to anyone,"

" Mr. Jones is to be marrying Lady-"

" They have not made the understanding official or well known and quite acceptable to change his mind," Louisa assured her of what they already knew. " And he did say that you were a suitable match," Caroline looked away and down, leaving Louisa to rest easy as to why her sister acted different.

The news of Caroline's hope to be attractive to Mr. Jones fell flat on Felton Hurst and gave hope to Charles he would not need to home Caroline at his new estate. Mr. Jones did not observe the difference in her character until he introduced his cousin, Miss Smith, to her. For the entire evening Caroline exercised her ability to entertain, smile, praise, and exhibit her talents. Miss Smith, newly out, thoroughly enjoyed herself. They repeated the pleasure two more times that week before Emmeline and Priscilla joined them in London.

Hertfordshire pampered the young ladies, evidence enough by their awkward interaction with Miss Smith. Miss Smith earned their generally good opinion and happily engaged them in talk of the various joys of being able to live in a new estate beautifully furnished. " Miss Bennet must be very lucky to hold your brother's good opinion,"

" Aye," Priscilla agreed while Emmeline hesitated. " And she is most kind and a gentle soul. The perfect compliment to Charles. I only regret Mrs. Rowley will not be in ready distance,"

" Who is-"

Emmeline really came alive. " Eliza is the flower, the bloom that is a true Bennet. A proper Bennet. She will be sorely missed but we will have Jane,"

" I disagree. Eliza speaks too independently of her reflection on others, although she has never behaved improperly," Priscilla argued. " You merely like her more because she makes the effort to be more attentive,"

" That is not true," At this point, Miss Smith lost any footing in the conversation. " All are attentive. Eliza actually has a broader range of interests and never does she lend officers too much preference,"

" Nonsense."

" How is it nonsense? Only Miss Kity and Miss Lydia gave them preference, and Miss Lydia is marrying the Parson,"

Miss Smith edged in a word finally. " At least she is to be redeemed by that,"

" Hardly, The Parson is incredibly silly," Priscilla shook her head. " I would no more respect him than an officer," Emmeline nodded in complete agreement.

Mr. Jones inquired further about the Parson, then surprised to learn that this Parson served the Parish of the woman he intended to marry. Caroline elaborated on Mr. Collins desire to serve his cousins well. " He chose to marry Miss Lydia despite her being compromised by an officer,"

" How very honorable of him," Miss Smith instantly approved.

" He is overly servile to Lady de Bourg, giving her excessive preference to all reason," Caroline went on convinced she lured him toward her and away from Lady de Bourg. " And there is not a greater admirer of Rosings Park than him,"

Mr. Hurst poured himself more brandy. " A drink, Mr. Jones?" Grateful that Caroline behaved herself, Felton reminded herself to invite the gentleman to dinner more often.

Accepting the offer, Mr. Jones admired Caroline's youth. " Will you be visiting Miss Bennet in Kent when she becomes Mrs. Collins?"

" We are not particularly fond of each other. She is often flighty and empty-minded," The last complaint went unsaid as it is also applied to herself. Lydia Bennet was selfish. " I would not refuse the invitation if she did,"

Mr. Jones just smiled.

BREAK BREAK BREAK

Mr. Collins escorted his wife to the coach. " We are off, Mrs. Bennet. Thank you for your hospitality. I am most pleased to make amends to my dear cousins," He glanced slyly toward the tear stricken Lydia snifling into a handcloth. " She is quite the equal to her eldest sister in all regard. A real treasure,"

Jane and Mary overheard, not entirely sure they heard him correctly. Gathered outside and around the front entrance, everyone exhaled in relief to have Lydia removed from Longbourn.

Hiding her grief and disgust, Mrs. Bennet dabbed at her own tears. " Travel safe, Mr. Collins," She may be disappointed with Lydia trying to run off to Gretna Green but the mother in her wept.

Elias waved at Lydia and the retreating Collins. He turned to Jane then. " Well, Jane, you are next. Let us hope Mr. Bingley's talk of his new estate is as upstanding as his character," He offered his arm to his wife.

" Oh don't be so daft, Mr. Bennet, of course the new estate is as upstanding," She sighed heavily. " To lose two daughters-"

" Three, Mama," Mary corrected her. " Lizzy does live on the edge of Hertfordshire," Mrs. Bennet never visited the Rowley estate despite the duty as a mother. The evil look Mrs. Bennet gave her middle born child barely bothered Mary.

Kitty grabbed hold of Mary's arm. " Walk with me to Aunt Phillips, Mary. Please. Or even Lucas Lodge to visit Maria. It is only a mile," Mary admired her physical fortitude.

" If I go with you, I will need my redingote and gloves as will you," She submit readily.

Jane disappeared inside her to her bedchamber to pen a letter to Elizabeth and to calm her own nerves about the approaching marriage.

Mrs. Bennet launched into common complaints, called for smelling salts twice, and suffered a headache all before dinner. Jane listened to it whenever she joined her mother in the drawing room. Kitty and Mary did not return from their visit to Lucas Lodge until dinner and shared Maria's enthusiasm to see them again tomorrow. Mrs. Bennet said she'd join them, Mr. Bennet not granting his wife relief or himself forgiveness for allowing Lydia to become so wild.

Mr. Bingley's union to Jane caused a ripple in Hertfordshire. Not long after Mr. Bingley made Jane his Mrs. Bingley, Mr. Lucas returned home to declare his love for Mary and her permission to court her. Mary accepted with wholly proper happiness. Kitty received the young Mr. Miller twice a week, now the target of their mother's endeavoring.

Lydia requested Kitty to join her in Kent for two whole months, and when Mrs. Bennet sent Mary instead, Lydia declared their mother a traitor. In her young heart and spoiled past, she never believed her mother capable of sacrificing her. To send Mary instead of Kitty revealed to the bitterly enlightened Lydia that her mother much preferred to favor daughters at home than abroad. Lady Catherine's treatment of it all left Lydia completely angry with the world.


	8. Chapter 8

Elizabeth Rowley eventually gained Marina's respect after several years of marriage to Silas. Any familial closeness still eluded the sisters, and the fourth year into their marriage Marina begrudged the former Bennet the truth – Elizabeth was not, nor ever been, a fortune hunter. Hannah Rowley appreciated Elizabeth's devotion to Silas and the health of Rowley Estate, choosing to educate the young lady on estates and how to run them up to the day she drew her last breath.

No matter how hard they tried for more children, Elizabeth's only child, Cornelius, delighted his parents exceedingly. When he turned eight, Elizabeth allowed him to spend a whole month with his grandparents at Longbourn each year. Hertfordshire rarely spoke ill of the Bennets afterwards and Cornelius proved that a good raising and instilled sense of propriety prevented the likes of Ruth and Lydia Bennet.

Lydia Collins wrote often and long letters to all her family, never being out of contact for more than a few days at a time. Her union to William Collins produced no felicity on either side, granting Lady Catherine the pleasure of offering advice to deaf hearts and bleeding ears. The marriage bed produced six children, three who died at childbirth. Two sons and a daughter survived to adulthood.

A miracle widowed Lydia when her eldest boy turned 10. They moved to Longbourn, at which point, months later Mr. Bennet died of old age and a cold. Lydia heartlessly removed her mother to a dower cottage and reigned as mistress of Longbourn until her son took control of it at age one and twenty. Unlike her father, she invested her jointure into the land and her daughters dowry, vowing that Charity would marry for love. She died before she could witness such a union.

John and Thomas served the Collins name well, and when Thomas purchased a commission in the navy with John's help, they aided Charity in marrying a wealthy merchant from the south.

Jane's new home pleased her and Charles's ever present attentiveness never left her without. Caroline, Emmeline, and Priscilla stayed with Charles until they married Mr. Jones spent two years pursuing Lady de Bourg before offering to Caroline. Emmeline and Priscilla eventually married well to landowners, granting Jane the home to herself.

Mr. Bingley fathered four children, one boy, three girls to Jane, all resembling their mother. Naturally George inherited the estate and Diana, Florentia, and Augusta married within Derbyshire and neighboring counties. Jane often invited all the children to her home during the summer, aiding in marrying Kitty's daughter to the third son of an earl.

Mary eventually married Mr. Lucas and they welcomed a life of peace at Lucas Lodge. Since the Lucas had many children, Mary often played the role of big sister until they left Lucas Lodge. Charlotte did not marry and went into service as a companion for a wealthy Anne de Bourg.

Lady Lucas gradually ceded control to Mary until a year from passing, Mary fully controlled the household schedule. Sir William Lucas died two years later, Hertfordshire losing one of its most jovial persons. No children graced the couple and Lucas Lodge would be inherited by the second eldest brother, upon the death of Mary's husband after three and twenty years of marriage.

Kitty's courtship with Mr. Miller never amounted to much more than fancy. An offer from a visitor of the neighboring county freed Kitty of Longbourn. When Mr. Harris purchased Netherfield, Kitty neighbored not only Mary but also her parents. Hertfordshire welcomed a brood of nearly 10 children, all of who survived adulthood.

All in all, all the Bennet sisters lived on to be remembered , loved, and forever in the hearts of Hertfordshire.


End file.
